Articles
This year Industry 4.0 will again be the focus of many a seminar and conference. Many will be asking whether the ‘smart factory’ concept will ever become a reality.
The slow adoption process has begun and industry is already feeling the benefits in cost and risk reductions, performance improvements and flexibility.
The desire to make custom products quickly and inexpensively is the main attraction of Industry 4.0 for low-volume manufacturing. Fundamental to this is the realisation of a cyber-physical system that links all levels of the value chain in real time. This encompasses not only the production environment but also the communication channels – from incoming orders, design and customisation to delivery requires a seamless communications channel.
To support this, the autonomous platforms for IT (information technology – the office) and OT (operational technology – the factory floor) are converging. Originally built on separate technology stacks, protocols and standards, OT is progressively adopting IT-like technologies that meet the ruggedness and reliability standards that industry requires. The share of installed Industrial Ethernet nodes is increasing steadily.
The level of automation must continue to rise and this will call for a higher level of reliability in the communications network – right down to moving parts of the machinery. Under these conditions, the traditional Ethernet cables used for fixed installations can only achieve limited service life. In addition, machine builders are downsizing the footprint of their equipment, which is driving for more compact designs. Igus was one of the first cabling companies to develop Ethernet CAT5/6/6A/7 cables specifically for continuous movement applications.
Another challenge is to reduce the vibration of machine components, which will cut factory noise and improve the accuracy of the manufacturing process.
Low-vibration energy chains are often overlooked in the battle against machine vibration. When the energy supply system rolls, a polygon effect can occur – the chain doesn’t roll in a perfect arc – which results in vibrations that can lead to high oscillation amplitudes and resonance. Most producers of high-quality energy chains rely on a small chain link pitch to reduce the polygon effect.
The more advanced energy cable offerings use an elastic spring interconnect for the chain links that improves arc shape. This results in extremely low noise and an almost vibration-free running of the energy chain, even at high accelerations.
Energy-efficient machine components are also required to ensure competitiveness. The more mass is required to be accelerated, the more energy is required. High acceleration energy is also required for the change of direction of masses. Lightweight construction is increasingly vital for manufacturers of machine tools.
To drive the alternating strokes of an energy chain, the power must be applied in the form of push-pull force. Lightweight energy chains require less driving power so contribute to energy efficiency through low power consumption, potentially leading to smaller drive requirements.
The volume of data required for Industry 4.0 will only increase – so it is likely that electromagnetic compatibility protection as well as speed and length limitations of copper-based cables may be more of a focus. Perhaps it is worthwhile planning for the system-independent future today?
Fibre-optic cables enable safe communication that is independent of the system. If households are equipped with fibre-to-home connections already in cities, then why settle for anything less in industry? Fibre-optic cables tested for millions of strokes in small radii that are twistable for 3D robotics applications may prove to be an interesting alternative to copper.
Machine builders will benefit by taking a closer look at their physical communications network. More attention to the criteria for selecting cables and energy chains will help improve service life and process reliability in addition to realising the cost and risk reductions, and performance improvements that the Industry 4.0 concept promises.
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